Take Charge of Your Sexual Health

What you need to know about preventive services

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Home > What Are Preventive Sexual Health Services?

What Are Preventive Sexual Health Services?

A range of preventive sexual health services is available to help you stay healthy and detect and treat any problems early. These services are recommended by many leading medical organizations.*

Most of these services are now available at no cost under the Affordable Care Act, but check with your insurer to make sure your health plan covers them. Low-cost or free services might also be available at community health centers and family planning clinics. See the Where can I learn more? section to help you find a provider or nearby clinic.

Preventive services include:

Most preventive service recommendations by leading organizations are made for “men” or for “women.”

We understand that this is not inclusive terminology and, whenever possible, we have split the recommendations into those for people with a vagina/vulva and those for people with a penis.

If you are gender non-conforming or transgender, you can also find more guidance at the end of this guide.

*The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and other national organizations recommend these services.

A Note about Confidentiality

If you are covered by your parent’s or partner’s health insurance, keep in mind that a list of the health care services you receive might appear on their routine insurance statements. Ask your health care provider if the sexual health care services you are getting will be reported, and make sure you are comfortable with their policy.